NWTC proudly presented one of the English language’s most enduring works of personal transformation.

The hard-hearted miser Scrooge was once an idealistic youth, but as the story starts, he has come to value money and profit above all human relationships and to see Humanity as essentially self-serving. But in a visionary night of his past, present and possible future, he finds the path to personal redemption lies in the love for his fellow-man and in so doing becomes worthy of their own.

We presented this timeless tale as a Christmas spectacle for all to enjoy in the newly refurbished Abbey de Neumunster in the Grund. No venue could better set off the Victorian flavour of the piece.

Man of La Mancha is a powerful blend of tragedy, romance, comedy, and adventure which moves its audience through the entire spectrum of emotion. While the ravaging of Aldonza may challenge the limits for the faint of heart, it is a “must have” theatrical experience for all (except young children).

Wasserman’s Don Quixote De La Mancha (based on Cervantes’ character, and in part on Cervantes himself) personifies romantic idealism (a state of mind which exists just this side of madness) in its purest form. His story becomes an inspiration to pursue our personal quests with unfailing dedication, unbridled optimism, unwavering courage, and unparalleled chivalry.

Man of La Mancha features a play within a play, with a third layer thrown in for good measure. Cervantes and an associate are brought to prison to await a hearing with the Inquisition. He is set upon by the prisoners, who decide to hold a mock trial in order to find him guilty and steal all his possessions (including a package he seems to value greatly). Cervantes presents a play as his defence, to give the “jury” insight into the “crimes” of which they accuse him. They agree and become actors in his play. Cervantes plays Alhonso Quiana, a man who has set his own reality aside and become Don Quixote De La Mancha.

Man of La Mancha simultaneously tracks the experiences of the three men, Cervantes, Quiana, and Quixote, focusing mostly upon Quixote.